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The World of Remnant (?-600 BGW): The Beginning of the World and the Tale of God-King Ajax

Remnant. A beautifully contrasted world that's landscapes ranged from volcanic mountains and fields to glimmering sheets of pure, crystalline ice to endless swaths of shifting deserts. However, a long, long time ago, there was little more of this landscape than barren wastelands where deposits of titanic dust crystals sprouted up from the surface and nothing else stirred. The Dust, being a medium to which the chaotic forces that came to be known as "magic", interacted with itself and only itself for millions upon millions of years as the world took shape. Outside forces as well as the raw energy coursing along the surface of the planet created a world prime for the creation of living beings.

It was this world that became home to two peculiar races of creature: The Race of Men and The Race of Monster.

The Race of Men was born of the chaotic and coiling energy sources known as "Dust" due to its inherent potency of magic power. It is said, and oft believed, that the primordial mixing of dust in both its crystal and granular forms created the perfect catalyst for an event that theological scholars refer to as "The Great Light". From the swirling clouds of magical energy formed small, nearly hairless creatures known as "Mankind". These new creatures took to their surroundings, marveling at the cyclopean nature of the early landscape of Remnant what with its jagged rocks that almost seemed carved out. Slowly, but surely, mankind took to carving out their own lands, and, according to very ancient and poorly translated records, subsisting off the energies radiating from the crystals above and below the world.

This race of peculiar creatures created the very first prototypes to many of the things taken for granted today such as housing, clothing, governmental structure, and toolmaking. We are unsure of how long it was until the race of monster arrived, only that with it came the an event known as "The Division of Lines" which split the world into the continents of Mantle, Vale, Mistral, and Vacuo.

Regarding the creation of monsters, ancient texts and legends are foggy at best as to what happened with such a thing. Over the years, the most brilliant archaeological and historical minds have deduced the race of monster may have been born similarly to the race of men, meaning the catalyst of dust that created the latter brought life to the former. From that event that theological scholars have named, rather heavyhandedly, "The Great Dark". Personally, if you want my opinion, I believe the will of the very planet saw to the creation of the very antithesis of mankind. A darkness to the light so to speak.

"For light without darkness is blinding, yet darkness without light is an abyss." -King Arlumane Lobos VI, 19 BGW (Before Great War).

Where the race of men was roughly uniform in size, shape, personality, and structure, the race of monster were a varied mixture of creatures both small and large, both innocent and horrifying. I don't believe any could blame such primitive humans from being fearful of the race of monster, gargantuan and lovecraftian some of them were, further compounded by the seemingly embedded desire to destroy. The humans, caught unaware and without any knowledge of true warfare, were nearly wiped out by the dark creatures that infested the planet. True, some of those creatures did possess rational thought and sapience and looked remarkably similar to humans, but others seemed to have crawled out of the pits of hell itself.

Some humans, attempting to appease their dark tormentors took to revering them as gods. They worshiped them and provided their "gods" with whatever they required, even if it meant themselves. This early form of paganism laid the groundwork for future Grecian, Norse, and Roman cultures that would later be assimilated into the kingdoms.

It seemed hopeless, and that the world of Remnant would forever be infested by these creatures of the night. That was until a man known simply as Ajax in his time created something, a weapon to be precise. For you see, Ajax, wise and strong amongst his brethren, saw the adverse reactions some of the weaker monsters had against the dust outcroppings, most notably the monolothic red crystals that dotted the landscape. So, carving a long stone pole to allow him to hit without getting close and breaking off a jagged and sharp piece of the crystal, Ajax created the first weapon of humankind: The Spear of Destiny, Gáe Buide.

It is said that the first time this spear was used in battle was against a dragon known simply as "Hrothing" who had taken to tormenting Ajax's people. Ajax was said to have lifted the mighty spear over his head and stab directly into the beast, showing no mercy or hesitation. While the beast had expected to laugh at the weak human he instead felt the agony of burning fire course through his heart, the spear had struck home and lodged itself into the core of the great beast. Fire welled within the creature causing it to burn and die all the while cursing its slayer's name with mighty roars and wails.

As the creature fell dead Ajax's people cheered with such thunderous applause and victorious shouting that the sound echoed across the world and reached the human stragglers that ran from the dark creatures. The cheering inspired hope within the tired humans, causing them to applaud and shout back creating a cacophony of noise that sent even the mightiest of monsters running. Ajax, now known as God-King Ajax, stood proud before his people, towering visage lording over the fields of beasts that looked up at him in shocked awe. The king raised his mighty Gáe Buide and sent it spiraling down into the pits of those dark plains, creating a fiery scar that is said to be an area now known as the Boiling Gash in Mistral.

Ajax lead his people throughout the land and beyond the sea to the split kingdoms, spear in hand and cutting down any who would dare oppose him. In those years humans began to mimic the creation of the Gáe Buide by shaving off large chunks of dust and using them to craft crude weapons. Some of which, like the trident known as Sagaoileadh which was made up of 3 ice crystals, would be used to battle some of the darkest creatures mankind would face.

His empire was so massive that he had developed cities and governments on every major landmass that was all interconnected by a system of primitive boats simple written messages. Both these would become refined in time but the initial deprivation of mutual contact led to each continent slowly gaining their own local flavor so to speak.

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King Menelaus (600-300 BGW): A Ceasefire in the Wake of Life

So the world, formerly a desolate place and now teeming with creatures bent on the destruction of one another, continued spinning, alone with only the moon to watch its inhabitants struggle. Ajax would continue to grow older and older, before his death at the presumed age of 192 leaving his only heir and son, Menelaus, to lead the unified forces of men. And so he did, living up to the expectations of his life and fighting the beasts for every inch of land and every scrap of resources. The fighting brought about desolation and destruction, but from that came something after...

Life.

The craggy mountains, dusty plains, and grey waters began to grow colored and full with life neither side had ever seen. Sheep, cows, fish, and other creatures came about around the planet. Life had finally taken root in Remnant, and with it came a ceasefire by both sides so that they may simply marvel at what had happened. Yes, it seemed that everyday the scouts would be bring stories more spectacular than the last, oceans of emerald waters, beautiful forests of red trees, lush greenlands that spread for as far as the eye could see.

King Menelaus, never having before seen this, devoted the rest of his long life studying the world that had bloomed amidst the fighting. And for awhile, fighting had ceased on both sides as even the most barbaric creatures took note of the furred creatures that they could barely even pick up lest they crush the tiny things. Humans found that they could consume the beasts that wandered the lands, making note of which ones were the best and how they should go about doing so. It was with this consumption that humans grew stronger and stronger, some of the most prominent unnamed heroes of that age boasting strength that could rip a Werewolf Alpha to shreds if need be.

The first scientific studies of the properties of dust had begun in that time, the smartest of the humans wishing to know what made the stuff so useful and powerful in combating creatures such as the ones they had battled. Through rigorous study and the forgotten trial tests in those early decades, the first bloomings of magecraft had begun to take shape in the world. Intellectuals learning how to harness the dormant energy hidden in every shard and every grain of dust, they experimented endlessly at their king's behest. The wild, raw energy in the dust proved difficult to control or even coax out into the visible world but moments of sudden clarity and accidental breakthroughs proved that there was indeed power lying in the dust.

Fionn Argus, a respected scholar in his time, achieved the title that would cement him in the legends of the Mage's Association of today: Archmage. Fionn had discovered how to properly wield dust to a primitive extent, drawing it out with comparative ease and molding it into something that could be used. While not at all palpable compared to today's standards, Fionn was known as the man who pioneered incantations.

"Speaking aloud the words," he wrote in his journals that had been preserved in his tomb. "that come to the mind in the process of refining and manipulating the potent energies within dust allows the mind a sort of concentration. A way to fixate themselves upon what they are doing, by vocalizing what a magus wishes to do the mind can more easily envision this and transmit that into the dust they are trying to control."

While it is still unknown what gives humans the ability to manipulate dust so finely, it is suspected that it has something to do with how the creation of man was believed to have started. That we, the first creatures created on Remnant by dust and the first to wield it, have a connection to the stuff that goes right down into our souls. It is further unknown as to why the races of fae, such as leprechauns, can also manipulate dust to perform magic. This subject of study has been continuing since Fionn first posed the question into one of his journals:

"why is that we, a race comparably weak to the monster we face, would be given the power to use raw energy? I suspect something more than mere chance."

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King Carsopes (300-100 BGW): An Intellectual of Fatal Mistakes

As time waned and Menelaus died as his father did, living a life full of wonder and change, a new, more ambitious man came upon the throne: King Carsopes. Carsopes boasted a prowess of intellect never heard of before in the race of men, and, seeing how his people had grown so strong compared to what they were before, began to refine mankind's ability to produce weaponry and defenses. Crude spears that barely held up compared to the Gáe Buide became honed pieces of equipment as stronger material that reflected light when polished made their way around the cities of man. King Carsopes refined this material and turned it into the most crucial part to any weapon, with it he created tools that cut clean through monsters.

Carsopes was known for advocating the usage of science and deductive reasoning, unheard of in his time, to discover new ways to enhance humanity's abilities. During Carsopes's reign there was an influx of new inventions and breakthroughs in the realms of science and math such as the invention of the wheel, early agriculture, early domestication, basic physics, dustmancy, and geometry. The ceasefire created by King Menelaus was an opportunity that could not be left to waste, so King Carsopes went about enhancing every aspect of human life. It was during this time that storytelling, historical writing, and even customization of property and items began to make itself known, the beginning roots of human culture. The encouragement of culture was especially important to sociologists and archaeologists given the carefully preserved state of some of the artifacts that had been found in tombs. It could even be inferred that Carsopes had thought so far ahead that he had taken measures to ensure that some of the most important texts and artifacts of his time would be sure to be passed down into the future.

Suddenly, and without warning, Carsopes rallied his most able-bodied warriors that had lived through countless battles, some of the most experienced having fought alongside Ajax in their own time, and lead a great charge against the creatures of night. Ironically, the events following mirrored the events prior to when monsters first came upon the world in that the dark creatures were almost entirely pushed back into the crevices of the world. Settlements popped up alongside the landscape as the world continued to refine itself into what we know of today.

The oldest of monster, namely the dragons, vampires, races of merfolk, werewolves, and what would be later called faeries, retreated to their hideaways, away from the sharpened weapons of men. Unfortunately, and, again ironically, King Carsopes did not think it wise to wipe out the race that had eaten his own people once, content to let them hide away in the forgotten places of mankind he left there. This proved fatal, as with older age comes a wisdom that cannot be gained anywhere else, what I mean is that the oldest of the clans that had gone into hiding grew older and older and wiser as they watched the fires of humankind burn in the night. The most ancient of these creatures became the defacto leaders of their individual species, plotting to themselves and their kin on what they will do when the time comes.

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King Arlumane Lobos (100-1 BGW): The War Gong Sounds, a Great Death Follows

There they stayed, biding their time and probing for weaknesses in the kingdoms of men. Carsopes, in this time, would fall ill and die leaving behind his most trusted general, Arlumane Lobos VI, as the rightful successor to the throne. Lobos was no mere general by the rumors that floated around, in fact, it was spoken that his shield was something of legend rivaling even the Gáe Buide, which had been locked away for the rulers of mankind to use only. The Aegis of Arlumane it had been named, and it was a shield without equal even to this day. Made of seven hides (in order: Werewolf, Leviathan, Gorgon, Calydonian boar, Gormr, Giant, and finally Dragon) that proved to be impenetrable by any claw, tooth, stringer, or blade.

As Lobos took the throne, the combined forces of monster saw fit to attack the humans who had grown complacent and weak compared to their former tenacity. The wisest among the monsters had formed a council at the time, the Council of Tartarus which had been named after their largest fortress compound and what would later become their capital city in modern times, made up of the 5 most prominent races that saw fit to retreat and bide their time. En mass, the forces of darkness laid bloody siege to the towns and cities of men.

Luckily, both Lobos and Carsopes had been afraid of something like this happening and had made it their duty to keep their warriors able-bodied. That, however, did not stop the initial thousands of causalities that resulted from the ensuing chaos. Rallying his troops as his predecessors once did, Lobos took his aegis and began to push back against the forces of evil sparking the beginning of what was known as the First Great War.

The war was said to be bloody and carnal beyond anything that has ever existed. The firs true war between humans and monsters, a war said to end all wars one way or another. King Arlumane battled bravely alongside his fellow knights and warriors, his Aegis responsible for blocking the blows of even one of the council members, a vampire known as Caligula. The battle continued for 19 long years before the fighting had taken the energy out of everyone who inhabited the planet, the monster could not find anymore blood lust and mankind was too fatigued to raise their weapons even in a show of defiance. And, just as in the reign of King Menelaus, a ceasefire to the fighting was called, leaving both sides to collect the thousands of bodies and attempt at rebuilding the lives and cities they destroyed.

Over time, if a little slowly, the cultures of men and even some of monster began to spread themselves across the world. The once plentiful above-ground deposits of dust having been mined or destroyed had virtually disappeared, leading to advanced mining in an attempt to gather more of the precious resource. Weapons made of pure dust had begun to be overtaken by such things as metal weaponry in the interest of saving dust for when it was needed instead of using it blindly. New defensive and engineering designs allowed for more security to be placed in the most important parts of the human kingdoms. Rigid and defined lines were created along newly printed maps pointing where so and so was and where not to go if you liked to be kept in one piece.

And though begrudgingly, the ancient and prominent territories of mankind and monster were carved out in the blood of both sides. These lines would serve as the very symbol of diplomacy between the two, if such and such was happening on this side it was mankind's problem and vice versa. This system was kept rooted in the halls and kingdoms of humanity for centuries all the way to the modern era. The legends of brave heroes and ancient kings, of powerful weapons and advanced magic all happened within the lines set by one King Arlumane Lobos VI, ruler of the 5 kingdoms and descendant of the original God-King.

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The Modern Era (1800-Present AGW): The Second War

Skipping centuries ahead, we find ourselves as the cusp of an outbreak between the races of men and monster once more. Centuries of pressure applied upon the borders of both sides created unwanted results. Fatal skirmishes cropped up across the land with the worst being the Battle of Fort Castle which saw the end of over 500 human soldiers created a diplomatic conflict the likes of which hadn't been seen since the Revolution Crisis of 1892 AGW (After Great War).

The tensions between both sides would boil over any day known, some people pretended it wasn't happening or that it would pass like other incidents such as this. However, due to the interference and subsequent death of one of the council's children, a war just as bloody as the first world war cast Remnant into the pits of carnage once more. This time, the forces of both factions had been bolstered by the creation of new species of monster, the development of ballistic weapons, and the advanced understand and application of dust magic (dustmancy) that proved influential in the war.

Thousands of humans and monster alike clashed across the globe. The crafty humans using guile and intellect as well as a natural ability of dust usage to cause crippling losses to the enemy side, meanwhile the sheer size, ferocity, and abilities of the monster created nightmares that no one would forget as long as they lived. Local shamans in the desert of Vacuo swear they can hear the wayward souls of fallen soldiers still scouring the desert, waiting to be found. I do not put much stock into these legends myself, but I can't help but bitterly laugh at the cruelty of that fate.

The war raged on and on for years as more bodies were thrown into the grinder. I watched as men fought savagely with their tools of steel and their weapons of dust to inflict searing wounds and icy gouges upon this world even as they were eaten alive by creatures I shan't describe here for my own sanity. Perhaps, in the first time in human history, the press proved to be a saving grace to the men and women who fought.

Pictures came back to the homefront on both sides of what was happening. Mothers, father, siblings, and lovers watched the horrid destruction and couldn't help but wonder if their loved one was among the bodies on the battlefield. So savage and marring were the photographs and videos that both the Council of Tartarus and the elected United Council of Kingdoms (U.C.K for short) were forced to find some agreement with eachother before a full-scaled riot appeared. It was then decided that Beacon Academy initiative was first announced worldwide.

A product of the tribulations, cultures, and ideas of both sides that would be used to bridge the gap between both humans and monsters. A massive academy designed to re-integrate the former combatants with eachother in a neutral environment hosted by both sides. It was idealistic at best and foolish at worst, and yet there was little else to do with thousands of trained soldiers who had nowhere to go now. I proposed the planning and employment of the staff and groundwork of the school, I worked endlessly to find a way to make this work.

As a man who knew war to the utmost, I could not abandon so many children to a life of stress and depression. Prominent figures around the globe pitched in ideas, people, supplies, and money until we had a working prototype to show the councils. Contingencies were hammered out day and night over and over again until we had run each idea through the ringer a hundred times. I interviewed and hired the staff myself, making them take active tests and putting them in simulated situations that were designed to weed out the hesitant or non-fitting.

The people I have now have earned my utmost respect and deserve their every position. Every professor is trained in a variety of psychological and sociological skills in case of an emergency as well as having been trained in first aid. Like any academy, we offer classes where students can go for free to earn their degree in skills they had wished to hone when they were younger. From Dustmancy to Practical Physics the academy boats a wide range of classes for our up and coming students to choose from.

I am... unsure of how this will go, but I must give it a try.

For my students if not for me.

-Headmaster Ozpin Ozark

February 27th, 2017

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First chapter and what do you guys think? Is it good is it bad? Criticisms? Beta Reader applications? Know that this is the prologue to our story and it will truly begin next chapter. I'll hopefully had something done by the end of the weekend so please bare with me. Thanks for voting if you did and I suppose I'll see you next time!

P.S Yes, there are a lot of OC ancient characters such as the kings and mages but there are also things from myth so please don't tear me apart for it. There will be references to ancient heroes and kings that you won't get at first so don't worry. There will be plenty of stuff taken from mythology as well so don't be surprised at that.

It'd also be super cool if someone could make some cover art for this story if they want to, they'd get a shoutout every chapter.

Please and Thank you.

XOXOXO

CoffeyJoe